


Soullessness

by fanof4differentthings



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 06:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9872000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanof4differentthings/pseuds/fanof4differentthings
Summary: Angor Rot is enraged by the hold Strickler has over him through the Inferna Copula, prompting him to try to regain control. By concocting a cunning plan, Angor gets things to fall into his favour, while also sparking a confrontation between his "master" and one of his students...*Takes place between Episodes 19 and 20.





	1. Angor Rot's Stratagem

The troll assassin walked through the tunnel, one of many which were abandoned by common trolls and reused by Changelings. Angor Rot would much rather use a portal than go on foot. However, he didn't have that option anymore; the Skathe-Hrün was taken from him by that human girl, while also leaving him stranded on another part of the world. _She will suffer for this,_ he thought.

He had received summons from Strickler, to meet him in the network of passageways beneath Arcadia. Angor Rot didn't know why he needed to and frankly, he didn't want to, but he couldn't resist Strickler's orders. He literally had the Inferna Copula in his hand, the vessel containing his soul,... he was under his dominant sway through the ring. This whole circumstance was infuriating and outrageous, while also leaving him an empty shell,... even the souls of Trollhunters he had previously slain couldn't fill the emptiness inside him.  _One way or another, I will get that ring back from you, Stricklander..._

The tunnels were originally used as shortcuts between the human and troll worlds, but at some point they were sealed off by trolls. The tunnel that Angor walked through was full of phosphorescent fungi and small gemforms. Both sprouted from the gray, cavernous ceiling and walls and glowing blue and green, in contrast to Angor's yellow eyes. Their glow was dim and small, yet it was enough for the troll to see the path ahead.

After taking a left turn, he saw an opening. He was too far away to see what lies behind it, but as he got closer, he was able to see more clearly. It was a circular room that, like the tunnel, was full of gemforms, only more in size, number and brightness. In the room was a group of people in conversation, the man Angor knew as Otto amongst them; everyone else was a stranger to him, yet it was clear that they were all Changelings.

Once they had noticed Angor Rot, the Changelings immediately became silent, their fear apparent. The quiet was disrupted by Otto: "Where, eh,... is Strickler?"  
"I do not know. Why was I summoned here?", Angor Rot said.  
"Strickler has a task to set to you; we are going to discuss it. However, it is a, eh, general rule that meetings do not start until the leader is present", Otto said with a nervousness.  
"Why are all of _you_ meeting here in the first place, if you  ** __** ** __** __are all so frightened of me?", Angor Rot asked, amused.  
"Eh..., Strickler wanted to demonstrate his, uh..., control over you... to the Janus Order, and to discuss the furthering of plans... with us...", the Changeling stuttered. Angor was clearly enraged by the words "demonstrate" and "control", which prompted Otto to become even more scared.  
"I guess that for now, we will wait--"  
"Not anymore", a voice interrupted from afar.

It was Walt Strickler himself, who appeared from another tunnel at the opposite end of the room. As he came out, he reverted to his true Changeling form.

"Forgive me for my tardiness, but I was preoccupied."  
"Ah...", Angor Rot teased, "You mean with the fleshbag mother? I'm not sure if your preoccupations are a good idea, since it may interfere with the business of this order of yours--"  
" _Silence!_ ", Strickler commanded in a moderately quiet, yet sharp and clear tone of voice.  
"What fleshbag mother?", a female Changeling asked, perplexed.  
"Never mind that", Strickler stated.  
"You should mind; it might just endanger your operations", Angor Rot said in an amused way.

Strickler clenched his hand into a fist and hit the tall troll with enough force to knock him down. "Be quiet, you dog", the Changeling said, as the other Changelings froze in their human disguises, awestruck, and as resentment swam in Angor Rot's yellow eyes.  _We'll see if you can hit me that easily without that ring of yours, once I pluck it from your fingers, impure..._

  
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes... I need you to get me a Lodestone. I assume you know what it is?", Strickler stated.  
"Yes, I do. But they are hard to find, or acquire. Where do you suppose I could get one?", Angor Rot replied blatantly, as he rose from the ground.  
"I know that there must be one in Gatto's Keep."  
"I cannot get it for you. I don't have the means to travel there quickly, let alone access it."

Strickler stood there in thoughtful silence for a few seconds. The members of the Janus Order stayed that way too, only with less thought and more anxiety as to what their leader would say next.

After the brief quiet, Strickler asked, "What do you need to accomplish this?"  
"I need my staff. The human girl took it", Angor Rot answered.  
"Ms. Nuñez?"  
"Yes."  
"Can't you just take it back?"

At that instant, as he was about to give an honest answer to his question (which was that he could retrieve his weapon), Angor Rot realized an opportunity for himself...

"No, I cannot. She is surrounded by... friends, sources of constant defence that I can't face without losing something important... You must get the staff for me, if you want me to succeed in the task that you have set for me."  
"You just told me she is protected at all times! How am I supposed to get it?", Strickler inquired.  
"You run the girl's school. You have authority; authority that you can use... to retrieve my staff. She will most likely carry it with her, even there...", Angor stated with an indisputable logic.

Strickler once again stood in brief quiet. He seemed to have made up his mind when he raised his eyes from the ground to his assassin.

"Alright. You're dismissed."

Angor turned and walked out the same route through which he had entered the Janus Order's meeting place. He caught a few fearful glances from the Changelings as he left. They all had no idea of what he was going to do...

As he walked along the path, he noticed two crystals, one blue and the other green, sticking out of the floor. Angor pulled a knife out and chipped off shards of the gemforms. As he put the blade and crystals away and resumed his walk, he felt a deep satisfaction in his scheme... While Strickler dealt with the girl, he would focus on the means through which he will win back his soul, and then use it... The plan was so brilliant that he couldn't help but grin, as he stepped out the way he entered the passageway and into the moonlight outside. _Now you will pay for this outrage, impure..._

*

"Right, well,... back to business", Strickler said after Angor Rot's departure. "We'll need a Lodestone in order for our attack on the Trollhunter to succeed."  
"What do you plan to do, mein Freund?", Otto inquired.  
"With a Lodestone, I could possess the means to... incapacitate our young Trollhunter. Anyhow, how goes our continued infiltration of society?"  
"All seems to be well on that part. Eh,..."  
Otto trailed off into silence for a moment, then posed his question: "When will we start rebuilding of the bridge? We will retrieve the taken pieces, right?"  
"Yes, yes...", Strickler responded absentmindedly, while fiddling with his pen. "We'll deal with that once the Trollhunter is destroyed."  
"Hmm... very well...", Otto mumbled as he stepped away, disappointed in the fact that his leader obviously had no interest in freeing their one, true master...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. :)


	2. Switch

 

Training in the Forge had extended to Claire and Toby, now that they both carried weapons to use in battle. They were both quite able to hold their own in battle, but they weren't as proficient as Jim in fighting. That was proven a mere fifty seconds after their sparring session started, after Jim flung both their weapons out of their hands with his sword. He then ducked and tripped them with his leg, causing the two to let out a universal "ow".

"Hey! That wasn't fair, Jimbo!", Toby exclaimed in a hypocritical way while he tried to get to his feet, considering that both he and Claire were fighting against Jim together.  
"No fight is really fair, Tobes", Jim said as he helped him up. "Again?"  
"Nah, I've had enough pain for one da-- _Ow!_ I think I pulled a muscle. Aaah...", he stated in pain as he straightened his back.

Jim then walked up to Claire and offered her a hand up, which she accepted.

"Wow, you're good at this", Claire said.  
"Training pays off", Jim said with a simple shrug.

Claire picked up her Shadowstaff and popped it back into the handle.

"So, what do you think of my fighting style?", she asked eagerly.

Jim admitted that he had noticed their improvement in combat. Claire was able to call on a portal at will with ease, using strong emotions as a driving force. She was also quite capable of wielding her Shadowstaff as a blunt weapon, utilizing it in creative ways. Toby could use his Warhammer quickly and effectively, hitting even Jim with enough force to knock him backwards. Though, they weren't quite ready yet, he said.

Once they had decided that it was time to go home, they left. As the three walked through the not-so-crowded streets of Heartstone Trollmarket (there had been a recent decline in visitors), Toby gave Jim a sidelong look. This caused to Trollhunter to whisper in response, after checking that Claire was further ahead of them.

"What?", Jim asked his best friend.  
"Nothing! It's just that... you and Claire seem a bit more awkward, since we got back from the Quagawumps... Not _all_ the time", Toby said while he avoided a flock of gnomes running beneath them and some overhanging crystals, giving off blue and purple hues.  
"Um, it's just that... the Spring Fling... I-I don't think I'm cut out for dancing with her..."  
"Yeah, I guess it's a bit daunting, especially when she asked you out, right? Ha ha... heh..." Toby realized a mild form of shame on Jim's face and immediately apologized. "Sorry, Jimbo. That was a bit stupid..."  
"Nah, you were right, Tobes. I 'wussed out' big time", Jim said as he looked at Claire ahead of them.

They climbed the blue crystal staircase to the top. Jim then motioned to Claire to hand him the Horngazel, which she did. He scraped a half-circle with it, starting from below. As soon as he pressed his hand against the wall, it disassembled itself and the whole room was flooded with enough water to cause them to fall on their backs.

*

Apparently, they hadn't payed attention to the weather warning that was given out. Otherwise, they would've known that it would be pouring very hard for the next few hours. There was almost enough rain to fill the canal's entire volume. Jim, Claire and Toby were lucky that it didn't flood all of Trollmarket; the water only leaked onto the very bottom of the crystal staircase and it didn't flow into the troll metropolis.

*

Claire came into her house, her clothes dampened, yet seemingly dry. Her parents wouldn't notice that she was completely soaked in water as she came through the front door.

"Claire! Where have you been?", Mrs. Nuñez asked her daughter.  
"Oh! I, uh, was at Toby's place, with him and Jim", she answered quickly, while removing her bag from her back.  
"Okay... well, I made dinner. It's at the table." Her mother pointed towards the kitchen.

Mr. and Mrs. Nuñez were both on good terms with Jim and Toby, after they supposedly wrecked their house. They both issued a formal, personal apology at their doorstep, asking forgiveness for the deed they hadn't done. This pleased Claire's parents enough to allow her to hang out with them. Claire felt somewhat stupid for being furious towards them when it wasn't their fault - doubly so at Jim, who, under the influence of the Grit-Shaka, was very arrogant in certain respects. But then again, if they had told her that her home was destroyed by a Changeling posing as her little brother without offering physical proof, she wouldn't have believed them.

Claire sat at the dinner table, scraping peas off her plate with her fork, while reminiscing the days in which Enrique was still with her family. Enrique was held in captivity in the Darklands, far from loving hands... This saddened Claire to the bottom of her heart, while leaving her parents oblivious.

She couldn't talk to her parents about the ordeal their family was into, pet her agreement with Jim, yet she couldn't keep her emotions bottled inside. As an alternative, Claire talked to Blinky, NotEnrique, and Jim. Blinky was very understanding and gave good advice on how to cope, as was NotEnrique (ironically enough, looking at his past Gumm-Gumm loyalties). Jim always listened to what she had to say and, despite his ineptitude on certain occasions, his sympathy was appreciated to the highest extent by Claire. She was also much obliged by his commitment to rescuing her brother. _Thank you, Jim..._ , she thought.

Besides sorrow, she also was full of anger, directed at those who had robbed her brother. She had a general hatred for the Gumm-Gumms, but if she had to pick only one, it would be Strickler. He was selfish and cruel, in Claire's opinion. A notable example of this was the binding spell he put upon himself and Jim's mom, using this as leverage against him. All this while sending a troll assassin after him. It seemed that they _both_  now have something to express sympathy for...

When dinner had ended, Claire carried her "brother" up the stairs and into her bedroom, while her parents left for a civil meeting. Once she was sure that they were gone, she gave NotEnrique the all clear to change into his true form.

"I could really use a few socks. I'm starving!", the Changeling said.  
"You just had dinner!"  
"Yeah, but... I still need dessert...?"

Claire stared into his yellow and red eyes, annoyed at first. Then, she said with renewed positivity: "Okay, I'll see what I can get for... dessert."

*

The following day, Jim woke up early and made meals for himself, his mother, and Toby, as per usual. He left his mother's breakfast and lunch in the kitchen, where she would find it. Jim then mounted his vespa and set off for school with Toby in hot pursuit on his bike.

On the way, the two came across Blinky, who was freely walking through the streets of Arcadia in his human form.

"Hey, Blinky! How's human life?", Toby inquired.  
"Perfectly fine, Tobias. At the moment, I am just making the most of this... unexpected opportunity by exploring. You two should probably get a move on! You'll miss out your vital educations!", Blinky stated quickly.

As much as they would want to tour Blinky around the town, he had a valid point. They, however, still wondered where he was going...

Once Toby and Jim reached their high school, they set their modes of transportation on a rack and headed to their first class of the day - history. Walking into the class, they sat in their seats, in a noisy classroom that was unsupervised at the moment. Claire eventually came in and sat beside the two.  
While the class was filled with everyday chatter, the three discussed a more secret matter.

"--I mean, you can hide your armour and sword in a little amulet. Claire can fold her staff into a little handle. And me? Nothing! Warhammer stands out; just not the way I wanted it to!", Toby contended.  
"You have a point, Tobes. Maybe we can--", Jim was saying before he was interrupted by the opening of the door.

Instead of Coach Lawrence entering, Strickler emerged from the door. The class became immediately silent upon his entry. Strickler gave Jim a smirk, causing him to clench his fists and teeth in suppressed furiousness.

"Coach Lawrence is a bit ill at present, so I'll be filling in my old post for today", the principal explained the class with fake casualness. "As such, we'll continue from where you left off. Which chapter are you all on?"

They had discussed the French Revolution in great detail, the causality of the events in particular, Louis XVI, Robespierre, and such. As Strickler spoke, Jim would give him hateful glances, with Strickler glaring back in response. Their conflict was completely unnoticed by those who weren't aware of it.

By the end of the lesson, the trio was about to walk outside like the rest, only they were stopped by Strickler's "ahem".

"Ms. Nuñez, could you please see me during lunch?", he stated intimidatingly as he spun his pen in his fingers. "I have something to discuss with you."  
"Uh,... why?", Claire responded, befuddled.  
"What I have to say may be in both our interes--", Strickler was saying before he was interrupted.  
Jim burst out, "Leave her alone, Strickler."  
"Young Atlas, I wasn't aware that I was including you in this conversation. Or was I?", Strickler growled sarcastically.

Claire was overwhelmed by the tension and gave in: "Okay, Principal Strickler. If that's what you want..."  
"Excellent", Strickler said in finality, shoving his pen into a pocket in his jacket and leaving the classroom afterward.

Jim and Toby, who was silent throughout, gave her looks of worry, to which she responded: "It's not a big deal, guys."  
"Um, I'm pretty sure that it is a big deal, Claire!", Toby exclaimed. "Being with a known Changeling, alone... it's not good."  
"Toby's right. I don't think it's a good idea to just walk into this", Jim agreed.  
"Well, I can't just say I can't! This is Strickler we're talking about. I can't just say no to the principal. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?", Claire put it simply.

Her logic was flawed.


	3. Darkest Impulses

Strickler was waiting in his office patiently, waiting for the lunch bell to ring. He pulled out his pen and began to twirl it in his fingers, passing the time. He stopped when he heard the bell's resonance, then resumed.  _Any minute now..._

Claire emerged from his door with a semi-nervous look on her face.

"Ah, Ms. Nuñez! Please take a seat", Strickler said as he motioned towards the chair opposite his desk.

She set herself down on the stool, apprehensive. Strickler glared at her behind his pen, held in both hands, with anticipation.

"A mutual friend told me that you took something from him by force", Strickler explained. "He needs it back, and I am asking you to return it on his behalf."

Claire was backed into a corner with the cold stare permeating from Strickler's green eyes. She clutched onto the purse, containing the article he was referring to, poised on her side. Besides her new attachment to the Shadowstaff,  
Claire also didn't want to return it because of the tactical edge it would give back to Angor Rot. She weighed her options underneath her seemingly calm face, looking the Changeling in the eyes. One false move and it's game over, it seemed. After 20 second period of silence and a "take-your-time" look from Strickler, Claire broke a layer of tension.

"No", she said firmly.

Strickler slammed his hands on his desk, startling Claire.

"I will ask you one more time! Give me the staff!", Strickler said angrily, his eyes glowing red for a moment.  
"No", she repeated.

Strickler's face loosened from stress and, after a moment of regaining composure, he stood up.

"Well, Ms. Nuñez, you have forced my hand", he said coolly. "Excuse me for a moment."

He walked towards the office door, which Claire had left open. Strickler slowly closed the door and it clicked. Then, with a blue flash, the human was replaced with a green Changeling. Strickler pulled out blades resembling feathers out of his collar and threw them at Claire. She lunged out of her seat, narrowly dodging the knives.

Claire ran to the back of Strickler's desk for cover, hearing the clink of the throwing knives on it. She reached for her staff in her purse and once she did, she pulled it out and extended it. "Come on, work!", she said to herself, noticing that the staff wasn't responding to her mental commands in any way; being attacked by an evil troll can impair concentration. Strickler appeared at her side and tried to grab at her; she managed to escape.

Claire crouched around quickly Strickler's desk and then ran for the door. She tried to open the door; Strickler locked it. Then, she noticed that he had left his pen on his desk. She and Strickler encircled each other in their arena, allowing her to get close to his desk and grab it. Recalling how Toby accessed his secret room and thinking that she could escape somehow, she took off the cap and inserted the key into the lock in the bookshelves, after pushing a few books out of the way. It didn't work and she remembered ( _Changeling key, Changeling lock...)._

Strickler started to run at her, pulling a couple of blades from his collar with both hands and throwing them at her. Claire managed to deflect them by spinning her staff, before he lunged at her. She held him back with her weapon, while also holding onto it as he tried to pull it out of her grasp.

"Argh... Give me the staff!", he growled.  
"No way", she said as their tug-of-war waged on.

Strickler switched from pulling to pushing, trying to overpower her. Claire, in response, gave in for a moment and then pushed back at him unexpectedly, allowing her to roll to the side. Strickler then let out a cackle.

"Ha ha ha... You're weak, just as you were ignorant."  
"Shut up", she said under her breath, before spinning her staff again and stopped it in a defensive position in both hands.  
"Little Enrique is in the Darklands of all places, because of you. Having a good life can distract you from the rest of us, can't it?", Strickler insulted.

That last part drove Claire angry and she ran at him, disregarding the safety of Jim's mother. She kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back and causing him to collide with his desk. She then pointed her staff at his face impulsively, the two-pronged, portal-making part. Strickler was surprised and arrogance was drained from his face; it seemed as if she was really going to hurt him. Claire's emotions filled the Shadowstaff, black and murky like ink, and it began to shake in her hands on standby. It was about to destroy the Changeling (Claire didn't know how and, frankly, didn't care), when...

_"For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!"_

One blue flash later, an armoured Jim came out of the window and threw a boomerang dagger, flinging the Shadowstaff out of Claire's hands, before returning to his own. Her face faded from rage to regret. She almost killed not only Strickler, but also Dr. Lake...  _Fudgeknuckle..._

"Claire, what are you doing?!", Jim asked, disbelievingly. After that, he was just as speechless as the other two.

Just as Strickler was about to pull out another "feather", Jim called to Claire: "Claire, get us out of here!"

At first, she didn't understand, but then she caught on. Claire conjured a portal on the floor, and the two jumped through it, before Strickler could catch them. He growled at himself once the portal closed, and changed back into his human form. He turned to look at his office, now riddled with throwing knives. All that for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have quite a lot of free time, so you can expect new chapters soon. Unless I get writer's block, which would be unfortunate...
> 
> Constructive criticism is held in the highest regard.


	4. Broken Under Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angor Rot's plan comes to fruition...

__

Two goblins were guarding the Janus Order's vault in the tunnels beneath Arcadia, armed with crossbows. Suddenly, Angor Rot jumped from a hole above, brandishing his Creeper's Sun blades. His impact on the two creatures was so hard that, instead of turning to stone when the knives pierced them, they splattered on the ground.

Once he got up, Angor pulled out a totem and placed it on the mechanical lock on the iron door in front of him. The totem gave off a faint hissing noise and then a small explosion followed. Angor Rot removed the totem, revealing that it had burned a hole in the lock. He then proceeded to pull the ironclad door to the side.

Upon coming into the vault, he was welcomed by the light of overhanging green gemforms, each having smaller ones protruding out of it, like branches on a tree. In the center of the cylindrical room was a tall, green crystal holding up the ceiling like a pillar. Lodged in the pillar was a small door. _There you are,_ the ancient troll thought.

He placed the totem on it again and it repeated its functions... The safe door remained intact.

Angor growled and then bombarded the blasted thing with balls of purple fire. Again, nothing happened. It was enchanted. Then again, he should have expected that, its contents' significance considered.

Angor Rot went on to speak incantations in an old Trollish dialect, pressing his hands against the box lodged in the crystalline pillar. The safe rattled in its confinement, as power surged through Angor's arms... And then it clicked. He pulled out a knife and pried the door open, revealing a chunks of blue crystal inside.

The gemstones were known as the Cerrig Myrddin o Olau dydd, remnants of the gemstone Merlin used to make the Amulet. The fabled stones contained sunlight itself, and the warlock fused them together by magic, placing them in the alloyed confines of the Amulet. They were eventually stolen by the Gumm-Gumms.

This was an essential component in his plan, which required Strickler's presence somewhere else. He needed to be distracted with the girl, while he took the stones...

Angor used his knife to clip some bits off, placing them in little vials. He placed the chunks back in the box, and closed it, leaving the room seemingly untouched. _Once I'm through with you, Strickler, I will finally have my freedom...,_  Angor Rot thought, satisfied with his accomplishment.

*

Strickler summoned Angor Rot again in the Trollish tunnels, the members of the Janus Order bearing witness once more. He had failed to retrieve the Skathe-Hrün from a simple human girl. Strickler knew that Claire Nuñez was angered by her brother's kidnapping, but he hadn't realized how far her anger had stemmed.

His assassin came through a tunnel.

"Angor! I am afraid that I couldn't retrieve your weapon. You'll have to get it yourself, no matter the cost!," Strickler yelled.  
"That doesn't matter anymore," Angor said. "I have what you asked for."  
Strickler was taken aback. "You have the Lodestone?! How?!"  
"I... managed to find another way...," the troll said in response.  
"Give it to me. Now."  
"As you wish."

Angor handed him two stones, green and blue; these were two halves of a Lodestone. Strickler eyed them gladly, admiring them for a moment. Then, to test their super-magnetism, he put the two together.

Instead of drawing metallic objects, the Lodestone glued itself onto his right hand.

"What is this?"

The green and blue of the stone dissolved, revealing a totem, which glowed orange and blue inside its eyes. An energy travelled from the totem on his palm to his arm, to his shoulder, and eventually sinked into his chest. From that endpoint, crackling blue lightning spread from his chest to the rest of his body in a fraction of a second. In the process, it turned him into his natural Changeling state, much to his and the Janus Orders shock. He dropped down to the floor, writhing and screaming in agony.

"Argh!! Aaah! _Angor!_ ", he yelled painfully.

Angor Rot responded merely with a loud laugh.

*

"Mom! _Mom!_ What's wrong?!", Jim called to his mother, who was now flailing on the kitchen floor.  
"Jim! Aaaahh...!"  
"Mom, hold on! I'll call an ambulance!"

It all happened with such suddenness. She was only trying to cook a meal, much to Jim's dismay, as he was usually the one who cooked. He didn't want her to add another burden on her shoulders. And now, she was on the brink of death, from heat stroke or... _Strickler..._ , Jim realized.

*

" _What did you do to me?!_ ," Strickler asked furiously.  
"You are feeling the taste of Daylight, or rather, the Cerrig Myrddin," Angor explained. "You, Strickler, will feel the sun, but you will not turn to stone. You will be exhausted, and eventually, slowly, die. Then, I'll reclaim _what is rightfully mine!"_

Strickler's eyes were now letting out a bright yellowish steam, as if they were melting. It certainly felt that way.

When Angor turned to intimidate the other Changelings, he crawled toward him with considerable difficulty. Strickler grabbed his leg, pulled him to the ground. He ripped the totem from his palm, screaming as he went. Strickler pressed the thing against Angor's chest, causing him to display the same reaction.

Now, it was Angor's turn to suffer. After the troll writhed on the ground, Strickler lifted him up and punched him repeatedly. Angor fell to the ground and ripped the totem from his chest, before Strickler came at him again. He threw some knives at Angor Rot and they stuck in his hide. Finally, Strickler beat him with much force, each punch he landed get harder and harder as his rage was released.

" _Let this serve as a warning to never cross me!,"_ Strickler yelled at everyone in the room. All the Changelings other than Strickler remained shocked and quiet.  
"You... will get the Lodestone, whether you like it or not, and if you _ever_ do something like that again, there will be even _more severe consequences on the way! More so than what you just tried to pull off!"_  
"Yes,... argh, _master_...," Angor replied, battered.

And with that, Strickler flung his cape and left. The Changelings followed, leaving Angor Rot alone, beaten. _I have lost..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Cerrig Myrddin o Olau dydd" in Welsh means "Merlin's Stones of Daylight".
> 
> In the next few chapters, there will be more background on the "tunnel network" that I came up with, as well as more scheming on Strickler's part.


	5. The Ignatious Pit

Otto Scaarbach waited for Angor Rot in a dimly-lit, cavernous part of the tunnels, his hat in both hands. He was accompanied by two goblins, one carrying an orange lantern and the other holding a rusty battle axe. As they were chittering in Goblin speak, much to Scaarbach's dismay, Strickler's assassin fell from the door above them, instead of climbing down the ladder. Otto let out a whimper as he clutched onto his hat in terror.

"What do you ask of me this time?," Angor grimaced.  
Otto retained his usual nervousness. "Eh... the goblin sentries were mapping out a lower level of the tunnels... when they found _this_..."  
  
Otto turned around and motioned towards a large gate-like structure. The entryway was sealed by a door and on the structure were engraved trollish words saying "Gyre Station".

"Strickler wants you to get a Lodestone, and _this_... how you get it," the Changeling uttered. "Erm, you remember where you need to go, right, mein freund?"  
"Gatto's Keep, I know."  
"Well, not exactly... See, there is a place in the vicinity of his Keep, where he hides his... other treasures," Scaarbach explained. "It is called the... Ignatious Pit."

Angor didn't reply to this new information and marched towards the door. He put his bare hands against the edge of the door. He pried it open and lights flickered inside, before coming to a halt. The troll assassin saw a Gyre parked near a platform. He hopped onto the seat, adjusting the controls and setting a course for Ojos del Salado, where, according to Strickler, was a Lodestone. The spherical contraption whirred and then took off quickly, leaving Otto with relief that the killer was out of his vicinity. That, however, in turn allowed the goblins to resume their annoying "waka-chakas".

*

After a few minutes of extremely rapid driving, the Gyre came to a stop. Once he stepped out of his vehicle, Angor Rot examined his surroundings. _Definitely volcanic..._ The ancient troll climbed some steps, the temperature rising as he went upwards. He then found himself in front of a heap of wooden boards propped against a mountain.

Angor Rot went up the wooden stairs and platforms, passing by troll guards with masks and axes. He had reached the summit, yet no one was in sight. Then, a voice erupted from the stony wall in front of him.

"Who are you?," the voice rumbled.

It was the face of a giant troll, with smoke leaving his mouth. This had to be Gatto.

"I am Angor Rot," the assassin replied.  
" _Ah_... I have heard of you. Chaos incarnate... Two legends in the same room...," Gatto said, as he breathed out steam. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your very presence?"  
"I need a Lodestone."  
"Hmm... a Lodestone... Why, yes, I have one, but not with me at the moment."  
"That doesn't matter. I only need the location of the Ignatious Pit."

Even with a face like his, you could discern Gatto's reluctance.

"Hmm... I would tell you where my top secret, well-hidden treasure trove is", Gatto laughed under his smoky breath. "But on one condition: you solve my riddle!"  
"I do not have time for games!," Angor exclaimed.  
"Well, those are my terms," the gargantuan troll stated as a smile broke over his face. "Take it or leave it."

Angor Rot clenched his fists in spite, before glaring Gatto in his gleaming orange eyes and nodding no. _I'm not going to waste my time solving Gorgus-forsaken riddles!, he thought._

"Well, _that_ was very rude indeed. Detain him!"

Out of the shadows leaped four guards, grabbing Angor from different sides. As Angor Rot tried to resist, the guards were slowly pushing him towards Gatto's mouth, which widened.

"I only hope that you won't taste _rotten_...," Gatto said with a slurping tongue.

Angor Rot was thrown into Gatto's mouth and tumbled down his windpipe. Just as he was about to hit a bottom comprised of lava stomach acid, the tall troll pulls out two knives and thrusts them into the esophagus' wall. Angor used his Creeper's Sun blades to climb to Gatto's mouth, inciting a couple ticklish giggles. The blades' poison spread out on Gatto's esophagus, but their expansion was short-lived; Gatto was apparently so big and thick that the poison affected him very little.

When he reached Gatto's tongue, Angor got onto it and literally rammed into his teeth. Gatto certainly felt it, judging by the movement of his tongue, but it wasn't enough to free the assassin. So, Angor Rot then conjured and threw a purple fireball at Gatto's closed mouth. The mountain-sized troll opened his mouth out of agitation and gave Angor a way out.

_"What?!"_

Angor pulled some Sun blades, which were shaped more like throwing knives, out of his belt and threw them at four masked guards at once. After their turning into stone, other guards fled in terror, only to be reduced to statues by Angor via some other stones. The sadist then ran, jumped and landed on Gatto's face, pointing a knife at his eye.

"Tell me where the Pit is. _Now_."  
" _Okay, okay!_ It's half a mile north of the Gyre station!," the enormous troll answered in utter fear. _"Put that thing away!"_

Angor took the Sun blade of Gatto's face and put it back in its place. Jumping off his face, he took off. _I won't waste my time murdering this giant fool._

*

Angor Rot used the Gyre once more, hurling away in the ball of blue lightning. He arrived at another, more compressed Gyre station. The ceiling was covered in magma-coloured crystals, each with liquids floating inside, that were hanging mid-air.

Angor walked through an archway after dismounting himself from the Gyre. As he walked into the narrow tunnel beyond the door, he noticed a hole in the floor. Peering through, Strickler's assassin saw a seemingly bottomless pit with orange gem formations gleaming on the one circular wall. The crystals were extensive, in that the lower one looked, the less they could see, as combination of their light blinded the viewer from seeing the bottom. There were also some crevices in the walls, gold, relics and other items glittering in them. This was the Gatto's fabled Ignatious Pit.

Angor Rot took a rope from his belt, secured it tightly on a rock, and descended into the Pit through the hole. Going down, he rummaged through the vast multitude of Roman coins, potions, and totems in every one of the narrow holes he came across. Then, he finally found it: a Lodestone. Securing his objective, he raced back up the rope. Angor Rot left afterwards.

*

"Well done, Angor Rot," Strickler addressed his servant in the Janus Order meeting room, while examining his new tool. "Now, let's see if this really works."

Strickler put the green and blue halves of the Lodestone together. His pen was magnetically drawn to it, followed by Otto's glasses (he was present), a goblin's battle axe and another Changeling's necklace.

"Hmm... you are dismissed," Strickler said to Angor Rot.

With that, Angor left, growling outside of earshot in spite.

"And so, what shall you do with it, mein freund?," Otto Scaarbach asked his Changeling superior.  
"As much as I am... _upset_ with Angor for his attempt at my life and ring, he did give me an opportunity. An opportunity to finally get rid of our dear Young Atlas..."

He laughed maniacally in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based the Ignatious Pit off of that hole Jim and company fall through before the Trollhunters logo comes up, in the intro. It really fit in my imagination for Gatto to be associated with it. Also, "ignatious" isn't really a word, but whatever works...


	6. Amulet Be Doomed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Amulet's fate hangs in the balance.

Apparently, Strickler _and_ Blinky were coming over for dinner, visiting Jim's mom, who was crippled to near nadir, yet there was some damage. She could walk, albeit with slight hardship, and still had no idea what had happened. Dr. Lake's colleagues at the hospital surmised that she had a stroke, yet Jim knew this was false. It was obviously through the binding spell that she was hurt, yet Jim didn't know how Strickler could have possibly been hurt in that manner.

Blinky, who had been meeting his mother since a few days ago, was also invited. How his mom could have contacted him, the fact that Blinky didn't have a phone or another _human_ way of contact considered, eluded Jim. He didn't know that until the day before, being informed by his mother. Dr. Lake was still giving him the silent treatment; she was clearly still upset about him keeping secrets from her. The desire to be honest with her was held back with difficulty, yet still, it was.

Jim was cleaning the household, polishing silverware and the floors and such, when there was a knock on the door. The young Trollhunter answered the door, and Blinky's temporarily-human face met his.

"Master--I, uh, mean, Jim! Glad to see you once more," Blinky greeted him, dodging a bullet when his mother showed up.  
"Hey, Mr. Blinky. Come in," Jim replied.

*

Strickler's plan was now set in motion with the Lodestone in his possession. _Young_ _Atlas_ was a worthy opponent, but his time had to end, for the sake of Changeling-kind. Still, he felt guilty, for this attempt on Barbara's son's life. He found it strange, to harbour feelings for the mother of a sworn enemy. _How strange indeed..._ , the Changeling thought beneath his contempt. Some might consider him cruel, without conscience, cold, once he carries out his scheme...

Approaching the Lake house and carrying a bouquet of flowers, Strickler knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Jim opened it.

"Hello, Mr. Strickler."  
"Young Atlas, how nice to see you outside of school again...," Strickler drawled on.

Animosity was ignited, a result of Strickler's attempt to take the Shadowstaff, endangering Claire in the process, as well as the binding spell circumstance. Jim checked if the coast was clear, and then proceeded to change his friendly tone into a harsh one. _"What the heck happened to you?"_

Strickler knew he was referring to the binding spell.

"Nothing that is of any concern to anyone anymore, including _you_ , Young Atlas," Strickler replied in the same harsh manner.

The fire was put out once Dr. Lake came from the dining room.

"Walt! I'm so glad you came!"  
"Barbara!"

The couple hugged each other, leaving a furious feeling in Jim. However, Jim noticed Strickler's expression. Was this genuine on Strickler's part?

They went to the living room after Strickler handed his flowers to the doctor, where "Mr. Blinky" was seated.

"Oh! Eh,... good day to you, my fellow!," Blinky exclaimed.

Strickler seemed surprised.

"Walt, surely you remember Mr. Blinky? Jim's guidance counsellor?," Barbara asked.  
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Mr. Blinky! Forgive me, I was, uh, lost in my thoughts," Strickler said luckily.

Seeing Blinkous Galadrigal in human form was unnatural, even though Barbara let it slip that some human named "Mr. Blinky" was a guidance counsellor from his own school and was tutoring Jim. He expected this kind of thing from Changelings. Blinky got out of his seat and shaked hands with the principal.

"So, shall we go on to dinner? I believe that your cooking will be as delicious as always!," Strickler spoke to the Trollhunter. Jim didn't answer as he went to the kitchen to bring in his food.

Strickler pulled a golden device from out of his pocket, a small box no larger than his fist with a small tube, under the dining table. Blinky and Barbara were in conversation, meaning that they were distracted. He opened it up to reveal three small compartments. In the central one in the far back, he placed a small blue stone - a fragment of the Cerrig Myrddin. In the other two above it, he placed the two halves of the Lodestone, both separated by a small barrier.

Jim returned with two plates of steak on one arm and a bowl of green salad with cranberries on the other. While he was setting them on the table, Strickler pretended that he was doing nothing. The teenager went back into the kitchen to fetch some more plates for himself and his mother, as Strickler flicked a switch on the device. It pointed a blue laser out of view of everyone but himself, projected by the Cerrig Myrddin fragment through the tube. It was pointing towards a location of a higher magical concentration of Daylight - the kitchen. Jim was carrying the Amulet on himself.

Jim sat in his seat, hiding his contempt for the Changeling troll from his mother by having casual conversation with the elephant in the room. By the time they had started eating, Strickler pulled a switch on the device backwards, thus removing the barrier between the Lodestone halves. Jim felt a tingling in his sweater, which receded just as quickly. He didn't pay any mind though; the tension was too distracting. This was the Amulet being dragged out of his reach by the Lodestone's magnetic property, focused via the device so that it wouldn't attract other metallic items. Strickler had the Amulet of Daylight, and this time, it wouldn't worm out of his reach.

*

Angor Rot was presented with the Amulet of Daylight by Strickler, in the Janus Order's meeting room.

"So this is what you needed that Lodestone for."  
"Indeed," Strickler replied.  
"Although," Otto interjected, "if you remember correctly, the Amulet is Jim Lake's. What makes you think that it won't return into his hands, mein freund?"  
"Have you already forgotten? The sigil?"

Otto then understood, but Angor spoke for him.

"Daylight is now _mine_ to command. It won't return into his hands if it is in mine."  
"However, for safekeeping, I'll hold onto it," Strickler said as he motioned to Angor to give him the Amulet of Daylight. Apparently, Strickler's distrust of him still lingered.  
"Why didn't you just let _me_ take it from the Trollhunter?"  
"You screw up too much, even with your... abilities," Strickler sneered.

With that, Angor left, leaving Strickler immensely satisfied.

"Otto, send the goblins. It's time that this ends."

*

Besides Strickler's presence, the evening was overall enjoyable. He gladly accepted Blinky into his home and getting to see him spend time with his mother. He did, however, still have that nagging pain he got whenever he saw the Changeling interact with Barbara in a friendly manner. The worst part was that she reciprocated to an evil-intending troll keeping up a facade of sincere care. Was it sincere?

Jim was really tuckered out by the mass of food in his stomach. So full and tired he was that he just fell onto his bed and fell asleep within minutes. The Amulet's disappearance was left unnoticed.

*

Jim woke up the next day early in the morning, finding a note on his mom's bedroom door, explaining that she would be absent all day because of an extra shift she had taken at the hospital. She had apparently needed to make up for the time she missed while she was recovering. This was the perfect opportunity to go to Trollmarket without the problem of her attention.

Jim just waited for the sun to get up from the horizon, watching some tv, when he heard a noise from the kitchen. Checking to see what it was, he found himself before three goblins with crossbows.

"Waka chaka!," a goblin cackled maniacally, before firing an arrow at him.

Jim dodged the projectile, though it landed in a wall. He reached for his Amulet, and to his surprise, it wasn't there.

"Oh no."

The goblins started to jump on him, one by one, clawing at him. The Trollhunter took them off him with his hands and made a run for the garage. After he managed to lock the door, he activated the roll-up door, got on his vespa, and didn't hesitate to drive off at near-top speed.

The goblins were still chasing him along the suburban streets. When he was nearing the traffic-loaded intersections, Jim decided to lead them to the canal, away from the open. Speeding through an expanse of trees, Jim then swerved his custom vehicle to the side as he bumped off the top edge of the canal's steep walls. Jim landed on the canal's bottom with a splash, a few millimetres of water still there from the storm a few days earlier. He managed to get away from the creatures, but only for a few minutes.

Quickly, he pulled the Horngazel out of his bag, already attached to his vespa, and began to draw the entrance to Trollmarket. The goblins scurried down the walls of the canal, weapons in hand. Seconds, then, Jim thought. Arrows were shooting out of crossbows, giving the Trollhunter all the more reason to speed up. He finished the half-circle and just rammed through it with his vespa, breaking the portal open. The fragments then collected themselves back into place before the goblins could be given access.

Now, there was only one question: _"What the heck just happened?!"_ It needed to be said out loud.


	7. Fear Gives In

Strickler went into a purple Heartstone-like formation of gemstone in the tunnels, where the vault had been moved after the debacle with Angor. Passing by the crystal walls, which reflected light like a hall of mirrors, he came into a main chamber, with the vault lodged in a spiralling pillar of crystal, like the last one that his assassin comprised. Strickler pressed his hand against the lock, which then wheeled out of the way to reveal emptiness. Strickler pulled the Amulet from his pocket, just as something hit the ground behind him. Angor Rot jumped from above.

The troll chanted and the Amulet came into his hand, a yellow trail of smoke coming out as it whisked towards him. The Sword of Daylight materialized in his other hand, as he bellowed at Strickler: "Give me the ring!"

"So, we play this tired old game again?," Strickler mumbled, before reverting to his true form.

The two trolls clashed at each other. Angor jumped at Strickler, while the latter dodges the former. Strickler threw his blades at Angor, all of which was deflected. Angor gave blows with the sword, Strickler holding them back with two of his knives.

"The ring is mine!," Angor yelled.

"This ring is my property!," Strickler yelled back.

Strickler then bowed his head down to let his horns charge at the assassin. Ultimately, the ancient warrior fell and Strickler beat him mercilessly on the ground.

"I warned you that the consequences would be dire," the Changeling told Angor Rot. "Yield. Now!"

Angor got up and bowed to him, saying, "I yield..."

Strickler teared the Amulet from his hands and locked it in the safe. He then walked out the chamber, changing back into his human form.

Behind his back, Angor said to himself: "...For now."

*

The sun was still hadn't risen from the ground and Otto had just sent the goblins to go after the Trollhunter. Strickler was positive that without the Amulet, Jim's murder was nigh inevitable.

Otto got into his car once he got out of the tunnels and headed off to the local museum. His profession as an antique dealer gave him some leeway with the curator, Nomura's replacement, thereby giving him access after-hours. He also wanted to get some paperwork done for a new acquisition he provided to the museum's collection of ancient pottery.

Otto arrived at the museum and headed off to his temporary office on the second floor. Being in the building saddened him. This was the place where they had suffered defeat, where they failed their master Gunmar... It would be satisfying to know that the Trollhunter died on this very day. Just then, he heard a rustling from the darkness on his right, on the second floor landing.

"W-who is there?!," Otto yelped.

He got his answer when the outline of a shadowy figure came into view, then the figure itself - Angor Rot.

"Oh! It's just you... What are you doing here?"  
"I've come to see you, Scaarbach," Angor replied.  
"Eh, why?"  
"Because you can assure me what I want - Strickler's downfall."

Otto let out a kind of quiet amused laugh, before remembering who he laughing in front of.

"How do you expect _me_ to murder Walter Strickler?!," he stated stiffly but clearly. "That aside, why would I even want to? Another Changeling?"  
"You know you want to be rid of that scourge. Gunmar the Black all couped up in the Darklands, while he deals with what you and your compatriots consider idle matters..."

The Changeling adjusted his glasses, considering the offer, while avoiding the troll's piercing, hungry, and eager stare.

"And, if I refuse...?"

At that moment, Angor pulled a knife out of his belt and held it against Otto's throat. Otto gulped in terror, before saying: "I accept your terms."

Angor put the blade out of the way at these words, a malicious smile appearing on his face. He then gave Otto a knife, not unlike a Creeper's Sun blade, but smaller and more symmetrical.

"Make it hurt. He shall feel pain as I tear the ring from his fingers."  
"Oh, um,... of course...?"

Just as Angor Rot was about to leave, Otto asked: "Although, why do you need me to kill him? You are highly capable." That last sentence was an attempt at a compliment to sway him to take the job off his hands.

Angor turned to face him, and after a brief quiet, he answered simply, without mentioning his earlier skirmish with Strickler: "He won't expect you."

And Angor left, leaving Otto petrified and escaping before the rising sun could turn him to stone. As much as this was dangerous, not to mention frightening for him to try to kill his superior, it would be nice to get some payback for his abandonment of their master. Idle, snide, power-hungry, cruel, and soon, dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive feedback is appreciated. :)


	8. Retelling of a Trollish Tale

__

"I would have come sooner if I was awake!," Toby exclaimed when Jim explained the goblin attack to everyone in Blinky's library.  
"This is wholeheartedly disconcerting," Blinky murmured.  
"Uh, _yeah_! He was nearly _killed by goblins!"_  
"Never mind that, the Amulet is missing!"  
"Oh, right..."

Blinky turned to Jim.

"How in Deya's grace could you have misplaced it?!"  
"I don't know," Jim told him.

And then it struck him in the face.

"Strickler... Blinky, I think he took it at the dinner party!"

Blinky rubbed his chin, thinking, everyone in the room eager to hear what he was going to say. Then, he collected himself and spoke.

"We need to consult Vendel on this."

*

Vendel was in the room in the interior of the Heartstone, examining AAARRRGGHH!!!. The pacifist troll had a stony-looking wound that frequently, but dimly glowed purple. Vendel looked at it a couple of times through a magnifying-glass-like instrument and scraped a bit of skin off the wound, putting it in a glass vial. He then put aside both the vial and instrument on a table.

"Well, I've taken a look at it."  
"And...," AAARRRGGHH!!! began, "what did you see?"  
"See? It's far too early to tell, my friend. Hopefully, erm..."  
"I... understand."  
"AAARRRGGHH!!!, it may be nothing. But, I'll need to keep this sample under observation," Vendel said as he motioned towards the vial.  
"Okay."  
"Have you told your friends?"

AAARRRGGHH!!!'s face displayed hesitance.

"You haven't told them?"  
"Don't want to worry. May be nothing. Don't say anything to them, please."  
"If that's what you want."  
"Thank you."

Vendel responded with a kind smile and a nod; AAARRRGGHH!!! returned it in kind.

"Vendel? Vendel!," Blinky's voice called out.

Blinky, Claire, Jim, and Toby came running in.

"Oh, Vendel, we need to talk to--," Blinky was saying, before he saw AAARRRGGHH!!!. "AAARRRGGHH!!!? What are you doing here?"  
"AAARRRGGHH!!! kindly offered to help me around," Vendel spoke rather rapidly. "Thank you very much, AAARRRGGHH!!!. I appreciate it."

He gave AAARRRGGHH!!! a look meaning "play along".

"Oh, uh..., your welcome."  
"AAARRRGGHH!!!, I'm afraid you need to stay for this one," Blinky stated.  
"What's the matter now, Blinkous?," the elderly troll asked.

Jim explained everything. Once he finished, Vendel had a look of outrage.

"How in Deya's grace could you have misplaced it?!"  
"That's what I said!," Blinky said.  
"Be quiet, Blinkous. How could you let the Changeling take it in _your own home?!"_  
"I don't know, okay? Somehow...," Jim replied.  
"You must get it back. With haste!"  
"Yeah, but I don't know where it is!"

Vendel stroked his chin hair as he answered: "I have an idea. Please come with me."

*

Vendel led Jim, Claire, Toby, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! into the Hero's Forge. He directed Jim to stand atop the centre of the floor, whereupon red flowed from Jim's position on the ground forwards. The red rested on the very centre, and the Soothscryer surfaced.

"One moment please...," Vendel mumbled while he adjusted some controls on the Soothscryer's other side. "Place your hand inside please."  
"Um..., okay...," Jim nervously responded. He wasn't sure whether or not it would bite off his hand _this_ time.

Toby gave him a boost and Jim climbed onto the machine. He outstretched his hand and the Soothscryer clamped down on it, causing him to flinch a bit. Then, blue-coloured energy flowed from Jim's arm to the Soothscryer. Its eyes flared from red to blue, and its horns started to bend upwards, growing closer and their tips generating an orb-like formation of blue energy. The Soothscryer let Jim's hand go, and the orb projected downwards, in the group's direction, before settling in mid-air and displaying the world, without political boundaries, and a dot where Arcadia is.

"What just happened?," Jim inquired as the globe was spinning.  
"You and your Amulet share a bond, one that can be further accessed through the Soothscryer. _That_ is the location of your Amulet," Vendel answered as he pointed at the dot on the globe.

The elder troll placed his fingertips on the point on the globe and expanded it, allowing him to peer into it. Then, he stumbled backwards a bit in a kind of shock.

"Vendel, are you alright?," Claire asked sympathetically.  
"And so, my suspicions were correct... I know where it is," Vendel mumbled.  
"Well, where, pray tell?," Blinky asked.  
"It's in the tunnels."  
"What tunnels?," Jim asked Vendel.

Vendel took an item from the Soothscryer, before shutting it down, the globe going with it. He then turned to face everyone.

"It's time I gave you a summary of past events," Blinky began. "For centuries, these tunnels were used as shortcuts between the human and troll worlds. Quite efficient routes of transportation. However, they were eventually discovered by some Gumm-Gumms, led by Bular, who escaped the Battle of Killahead's aftermath. And so, they invaded."  
Vendel continued for Blinky. "The battle lasted for four days and three nights. On the fourth night, the Trollhunter at the time managed to drive them back, before sealing the tunnels with the Amulet. However, we suspected that they might be still using them, given their limited resources."  
"Wait, you suspected, but you couldn't find out earlier? Why wait until now?," Toby asked.  
"That is because it was only through the bond with the Amulet and the Soothscryer that I discovered they were using the tunnels. They have the Amulet and thus, through their possession of it, I discovered their usage of the tunnel network while also discerning the Amulet's own location, pudgebag," Vendel responded, leaving Toby feeling stupid.  
"Now, as I was saying, the Amulet sealed the gate from the outside; it is the key. However, the Trollhunter at the time and I made a pact: that there should be two keys, rather than one, to ensure the tunnels' closure in case a day like this came. One came in the form of the Amulet, the other was left in my possession."  
"So, where is it?," Jim asked.  
"Here," the elder troll said, taking a crystal with a handle from his pouch and showing it to the group. "The Amulet is somewhere there. You must retrieve it, with your life at stake..."  
"How will we know how to find it?," Claire inquired.  
"With this," said Vendel, showing them the item he took from the Soothscryer: a compass-like device. "It is now imprinted with Jim's presence, allowing him to find the Amulet. Works like those human devices used for finding iron."  
"Actually, that's not how they work--", Toby was saying, before Vendel interrupted him.  
"Really? I wasn't aware," the elder troll grumbled, before leaving, his crystalline staff clanging the floor as he walked.

*

While the team was getting ready for their new mission, Claire was fiddling with the Shadowstaff in a back alley in Trollmarket, directly outside the entryway to the Hero's Forge. She was sitting on the ground, reflecting on past events. She nearly killed Jim's mom, after Strickler goaded her. It was a good thing Jim came in time, or she might have killed two people at the same time... Claire and Jim had a proper talk about it, ending on a happier note when the two embraced each other. The hug, though, was not only comforting, but also strangely enjoyable to a certain extent...

"Hey Claire! You alright?," Toby asked as he exited the Forge, accompanied by AAARRRGGHH!!! and dragging his Warhammer with him.  
"Oh, yes, I'm fine...," said Claire.

Toby wore an expression of disbelief, and approached her, sitting down beside her and setting the Warhammer on the ground.

"Claire, I know that the whole thing that went down between you and Strickler was hard, but... you're better than that," Toby stated. "You're better than me and Jim! Right, wingman?"  
"Mmm...," AAARRRGGHH!!! grunted uncertainly.  
"You wouldn't have,... you know, _killed_ him..."  
Claire rather sharply turned to look at Toby. "Well, I don't know... Maybe I could have. Either way, I endangered Jim's mom, so--"  
"Claire, Jim's fine with it," Toby interrupted. "Just temper yourself a bit more, that's all."

Claire gave Toby a small smile, with him smiling back.

"Thanks, Toby...," Claire thanked Toby, drifting back into a somber state again.  
"That's not all, is it?"  
"Well, no... It's just something Strickler said to me about ignorance. Now that I think about it, it kind of was my fault that Enrique--"  
"No!," AAARRRGGHH!!! exclaimed. "Gumm-Gumms' fault."  
"He's right," said Toby. "Who could have known?"  
"Not just that. He said that my happy life distracted me from others' problems," Claire explained. "And, as much as it pains me, he's right. I had popular friends and no real problems. Jim, even before the Amulet, was the one who had so much to care about..."

Claire paused as she buried her head in her arms on her knees. Then, she turned to Toby.

"I was dismissive, even to you. I'm sorry, Toby..."

Before he knew it, Claire had wrapped her arms around him. Unsure what to do, he just patted her on the back.

"It's totally fine, Claire. Trust me, even then, you cared more than any other guy in school (Jim not included). You're the coolest, kindest and _only_ girl I've had for a friend."

AAARRRGGHH!!! scooped the two of them up in his hands and hugged them too. Constricted, Toby managed to say: "Not so tight there, wingman...!"

When the pacifist troll dropped them both, Jim had came out of the Forge, accompanied by Blinky, and equiped with a crossbow as an alternative weapon.

"Ready, guys?," asked Jim.

Toby, Claire, and AAARRRGGHH!!! all gave different responses with the same meaning.

"So, let's go hunting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive feedback is appreciated. :)


	9. What Lies Beneath

Otto Scaarbach was driving his car through the night rain to the civil meeting at Arcadia's town hall, where councillors and other participants, including himself, would discuss some legal matters regarding the museum, more specifically who would stay on as its permanent curator; Nomura's replacement was only temporary. Strickler would be there and so would he. The knife forced into his possession by Angor Rot was in his pocket, ready for what it would do next.

*

Vendel led Jim, Claire, Toby, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! through the now more populated Trollmarket. They arrived at an alley with an arched entryway, with the entrance to a pub (as indicated by the neon sign showing a tankard) at the end. A wooden hatch was in the middle of the ground.

"Through here," Vendel told the group.

He reached for the ring handle on the hatch door and pulled it open. A red-painted wooden ladder was attached to one of the four walls of the chute. The old troll climbed down, his orange crystal staff propped in his armpit. The others followed (luckily, the chute was a bit more than the size of a human home's door, so AAARRRGGHH!!! could fit through), and their way down was lit by some tiny yellowish crystal-forms protruding from the walls. Midway to the bottom, the walls of the chute had cut off, reaching the end of their height, and the group climbed off the ladder. They had come to a cavernous space with a small amount of light permeating from some crystals of blue, turquoise and orange colour, and from an adjacent short passage, lined with red-painted wood.

By the time that they came through the passage, the group could see a metallic door, similar to the door to the vault containing the remains of Killahead Bridge. The door had a socket with short depth, as well as a small hole directly beneath; the socket was probably for the Amulet.

Vendel approached the door and inserted his crystal key into the hole. When he twisted it, an orange glow spread out and soaked into every facet of the sealed gate, before centring around the actual door. The door whirled out of the way like a giant gear, revealing the cavernous and gemstone-infested tunnels.

"You all go on your own from here", Vendel said.

Jim, alert and afraid (as required), stepped into through the gate, crossbow in hand and quiver on his back. Toby, Claire, and Blinky followed suit, armed with the Warhammer, Shadowstaff, and clenched fists, respectively. The gentle giant AAARRRGGHH!!! was stopped by Vendel before he could go through.

"My friend, are you certain you want to go? We have not yet discerned your condition."  
"Am sure", AAARRRGGHH!!! gruffly replied. "Need to get back Amulet."  
"Well, if you are certain...", Vendel murmured.  
"Come on, wingman! Let's get movin'!", Toby called from the distance.  
"Should go", AAARRRGGHH!!! stated, taking a last glance at the elder troll before taking off.

*

The young Trollhunter followed the compass' guidance, turning and walking in a straight line when necessary. He was reluctant to take his friends with him, especially when he at the moment only had a simple crossbow to protect them. However, Blinky convinced him that backup may be required in enemy territory. The talks he had in the Void, though, he couldn't shake off what his predecessors had told him.

As they treaded on, with Blinky admiring the tunnels' structure, they stumbled upon a giant purple, gemstone structure, which resembled a Heartstone glowed intensely, as if it was restless. It gave off a cold and feeling of unease, unlike the Heartstone in Trollmarket, which provided warmth.

"Whoa..., what's that?", Claire asked, in awe.  
"Bad", AAARRRGGHH!!! said.  
"Indeed", Blinky concurred. "This is a pure folly, a failed experiment."  
"What do you mean?", asked Toby.  
Blinky explained briefly. "The Darklands are just that - dark. As such, trolls that lived there, Changelings and Gumm-Gumms, had nothing like what we have in a place like Trollmarket. They craved something at least remotely like a Heartstone; they tried to create an _artificial_ Heartstone (gemstones grow naturally), and they got the very opposite, something like this. An adverse effect compared to the... warmth of ours."

A scuttling reached their ears; goblins were approaching.

*

Otto came into the town hall, slightly crowded. There were around 50 or so people in the room. His eyes surveyed the people, looking for Strickler, when suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder.

Otto let out a little yelp. "Yah...!"  
"There's no need to be so startled, dear friend", Strickler said when Otto twirled around. "It's just me."  
"Oh, hello, mein freund..."  
"Why so jumpy?"  
"No particular reason", the somewhat-portly Changeling replied, pretending to sound innocent; he was supposed to murder this man, after all.

Strickler's gaze shifted from normalcy to terror. Otto turned to see one of the councilwomen approach them. She was holding a blonde baby boy in her arms.

"Mr. Strickler, thank you for coming to this meeting", the black-haired woman said with a smile.  
"Oh, well, it was a pleasure, Councilwoman Nuñez. Always supportive of my community."

He didn't need Strickler's fear of the woman to know that this was the girl Claire's mother; she was holding one of their own. Otto glared at NotEnrique, who pretended as if he really was a human child, uninterested in them; they had not forgotten how this Changeling had bailed on them after the skirmish in museum, ending with Bular's demise and Killahead's destruction.

"Hey, have you seen my daughter? Claire? She goes to your school. She just left in a hurry, and no one could babysit this young man..."  
"I apologize; I'm uncertain", Strickler evoked.  
"Well, thank you anyway. How is Dr. Lake? I heard that she had an accident of some kind. Is that why she isn't here, because we sent an invitation to her as well."  
Strickler sighed. "Well, she's fine now. Barbara's just... busy."  
"Well, please be sure to give her my regards."

Otto tipped his hat as she left. Strickler slowly breathed out, relief coming back to him.

*

The goblins prowled on the ground, sniffing out fear. Jim and Toby hid behind one large rock, while AAARRRGGHH!!!, Blinky and Claire hid behind another one, one that fortunately could cover AAARRRGGHH!!!'s size. They all held their breaths, and then, Toby reached into his school bag. From it, he pulled out a gnome. After a questioning look from Jim, Toby mouthed: "I got this."

Toby gave the gnome the all-clear, and it ran wild, hooting. The goblins, laughed at the little creature's gestures, distracted. Then, the overweight teenager climbed out of his hiding place, swung his hammer, and knocked both goblins to the side. They were now unconscious.

"Very well done, Tobias", Blinky called to Toby. "Let's not waste anymore time."

They all went into the "Changeling abomination". Little did they know that they were being followed by Angor Rot's disembodied, rolling eyes.

*

Scaarbach sat at a small, round table, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Caressing the knife, he considered the aftermath of what he was going to do, whether he liked it or not. Angor Rot would kill him if he didn't do it, yet all that wasn't going to weigh on his conscience much (Strickler diverted from the goals of the Order while in control).

Then, he felt a sharp prick in his finger. He had cut it by the knife's edge. Although small, the cut terrified him, as the poison slowly began to spread across his fingertip, micro-bit-by-bit.

Otto jumped out of his seat and raced to the washroom, forgetting about the looks people gave him as he ran. Coming into the bathroom, he turned the sink on, dipping his finger in hot water.

The poison had stopped; in fact, it was now just a normal cut. A little known trick among trolls was to expose a wound with implications of that magnitude to heat. However, its efficiency depended upon the depth of the actual cut. Thankfully, it was only a small injury.

The whole event was terrifying. Otto took out the knife and buried it in the garbage can near the sink. Just then, a blonde man, that Otto recognized as Strickler's colleague Uhl, came out of a cubicle.

After noticing the man's disgust, Otto replied, "I, uh, dropped... something."  
"Right..."

Otto left in a heartbeat. The assassin was most definitely going to kill him. But at this point, the Changeling was so afraid, he couldn't do it. He himself was almost turned into stone. _By Gunmar's grace, I'm going to perish._

*

The group came into to "Heartstone's" interior. There were purple gemforms sticking out of the ground, like splinters, propping up the ceiling in the hallways. It vaguely reminded Jim of the dream he had once had, about Gunmar... It also seemed to have the same kind of eerie mist like in the dream, yet it was lowered and was less dense.

"Guess this is it...," Claire said.

They came into a chamber with a pillar of crystal, from the ceiling to the floor. A safe was lodged in it and judging by the frenetic movements of the needle in the compass, the Amulet was inside it. Trying to bust it open, they were met with failure. Even having AAARRRGGHH!!! punch it didn't make a difference.

"Now what?", Toby asked.

Suddenly, the safe blew open and the Amulet whisked through the air and into Jim's hand.

"Oh. _That_."

Angor Rot watched them from above in his hiding place with one eye, before the other one made it to him and he popped it back into its place. After the Amulet burst out and they were about to leave, the troll jumped onto the ground.

"Whoa! _Run_!", Toby yelled. And the group ran fast.

Angor followed them through the tunnels and summoned the Sword out of Jim's Amulet, thrashing it through the air but barely hitting them. They now got to the entrance to Trollmarket and just as the assassin was about to get through, Jim took his Amulet and pressed it against the socket in the gate, causing the door to close. The Sword of Daylight vanished from Angor's hand, with the Amulet now in the Trollhunter's possession.

The Amulet, the one thing that could have ensured his freedom slipped right out of his, and Strickler's, grasp. Infuriated, he listened to the apparent celebration on the other side. Although...

This mere fleshbag boy managed to take back the Amulet from enemy territory unscathed. He had achieved his goal where Angor could not. Maybe he could use this endurance to his personal advantage. This boy has a much higher chance of success, than the Changeling he had recently employed to do his dirty work. But who knows, maybe he did finish the job; nonetheless, this individual is worthless and a waste of his time, only giving the job of killing Strickler in an act of sheer desperation. Now the ring will be his, with the boy's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very dissatisfied with this as a whole. This story had potential, yet I wasted it on irrelevant matters and had missed opportunities. This is why I'm considering revising this separately, so as to leave it for the people that actually did like it (to those people, I say thank you wholeheartedly). This, in my eyes, dissatisfaction does not bode well with me.
> 
> I really care about this story. I really do. As such, I want to rewrite it separately. I am unsure as to what such an act is generally thought of, so I ask you, readers, to tell me what you think of this consideration. Simply put, what do you guys think of me considering rewriting it?
> 
> Thank you to those who have stayed with this story 'til the end and I hope that, for what it's worth, you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. :)


End file.
